Bansko is 170km from Sofia airport and about a three hour drive away, although this time should be reduced with the opening of new roads in the country. Millions of Euros has been invested in recent years following EU accession. Sofia is currently served by plenty of airlines from the UK and it is around a 3 hour flight time from most UK airports. As well as the traditional carriers such as British Airways and Bulgaria Air there are now plenty of options with budget carriers Wizz Air and Easyjet. Plovdiv airport is almost the same distance but it is much harder to find flights there from the UK.
- Sofia to Bansko 105km, transfer time around 3 hrs
In terms of transfers from Sofia it is easy enough to hire a car and taxis in Bulgaria are still quite cheap. Airport transfers are good value too with prices starting at £24 per person return with BanskoExpress.com if you are a group of 4 or more. The best budget option option from Sofia is bus from Ofchay Coopel Bus station in the west of the city. Running hourly it only costs €5 per person to Bansko bus station. For anyone crazy enough to want to drive all the way from the UK you will need to allow at least 3 days in each direction as the resort is 3000km from the French ports! The train journey would be equally arduous but not impossible, especially if you make use of overnight sleeper trains.
